C.J. Gable's actions speak as loud as Kory Sheets' words

Saskatchewan Roughriders running back Kory Sheets stands by the Grey Cup during the CFL West Division Champions luncheon in Regina on Thursday, November 21, 2013.

Photograph by: TROY FLEECE
, Postmedia News

REGINA - C.J. Gable is a man of few words. Kory Sheets is a man of many.

Gable’s head coach says the Hamilton Tiger-Cats running back would go an entire game without handling the football if that’s what he was asked to do, and never utter a complaint.

“Matter of fact, we’ve done that a couple of times this year where he’s barely touched the ball as a running back,” says Kent Austin, “but we needed him to protect the quarterback and he didn’t even whimper or say a word. I’m a huge fan.”

Sheets’s offensive coordinator says the Saskatchewan Roughriders running back always wants the ball -- and that’s a good thing -- “which is why he’s a running back,” says George Cortez, “and not a lineman.”

All it means is that there’s more than one way to be a star in the Canadian Football League, and trying to pick one of Sunday’s Grey Cup feature backs over the other is like being asked your favorite flavour of ice cream: there’s no wrong answer (unless it’s bacon.) Now, some might call bullspit on Austin’s claim, but the Ticats coach swears the 26-year-old Gable is just that unselfish.

“You want a back that fits your offensive philosophy and C.J. fits ours perfectly,” says Austin, whose offence is more heavily weighted toward the pass than the run. “He’s proficient in all three areas. First and foremost he’s got to protect the quarterback -- if a back can’t protect the quarterback in our offence, he’s not going to play for us. And I think C.J. is the best blocking back in the league, and I don’t think it’s close.”

But ... never touch the ball?

“No, I don’t care. As long as we win, I don’t care if I’m blocking the whole game,” Gable said Thursday at the team’s media breakfast. “I believe in (Austin’s) game plan and just do what I’m told, and that’s about it.”

Apprised of these strange assertions, Sheets -- who got into a very visible rhubarb with Cortez (followed by a pout) on the sidelines during a game in Calgary late in the season, when he didn’t get the ball near the goal-line and the Riders had to settle for a field goal in a game they lost 29-25 -- bit his tongue.

“I’m going to stay away from that one,” said the CFL’s second-leading rusher, behind only Calgary’s Jon Cornish. “I don’t want to get into comparing me to (Gable), because that’s not what this game’s about. It’s comparing two teams to each other, not two running backs.

“Of course. If you don’t want the ball, you shouldn’t be on offence. Go play defence if you don’t want the ball. That’s crazy.

“Yes, I want the ball. I want to help my team win. I want to score points and put touchdowns on the board, but if you say this guy never wants the ball, or this guy is happy to block every time you tell him to -- I’m cool with that. If they ask me to block I’m going to try to get my guy on the ground or make sure he doesn’t touch Darian (Durant).”

Gable finished the season with 782 yards rushing, less than half Sheets’s 1,598 total, but had 598 yards in receptions to the Roughrider tailback’s 264.

But the Ticats are in the Grey Cup, and try as you might, you’re not going to get Gable to reveal a goal higher than that.

“He can be at times a man of few words,” said Hamilton’s jocular offensive lineman Peter Dyakowski. “But he’s a rookie, a kid. Get him talking about video games or candy and he can’t stop. The new Call of Duty or whatever, Car-Stealing 5 ... give him a bag of Skittles and a PlayStation, he’ll be over the moon.”

“What is he, 13?” a reporter asked

“Yeah, give or take,” joked Dyakowski. “But seriously, he’s a great back, he really gets it. For a rookie to be real up on protections like he is, to be able to count on him and watch him gut it out for extra yards ... he’s a great asset. And as far as rookies go, he has a good attitude. He’s not too annoying.”

Sheets? He’s not annoying just ... chippy. He’s got a little of that “me against the world” attitude, having been born in Hartford, with the feeling that people were saying: “They play football in Connecticut?”

He played college ball at Purdue, not quite the same profile as Gable, who came out of Southern Cal, and admits he felt undervalued.

“You can be the fastest guy, can have all the numbers, but because of where I come from, I’m looked at differently. I don’t like that,” he said Thursday. “I come out here and I play hard just like everybody else, I have the talent just like everybody else and there’s a lot of people I feel like I’m better than.

“And I never get any credit for anything that I do, and anything I help my team do. (People think) I’m a selfish guy and a guy that’s just self-centered and hotheaded, and that’s not me.”

He said the confrontation with Cortez was more out frustration at the team failing to score a touchdown than the fact that he didn’t get the ball, but it looked pretty damning on video.

“It probably happens more than people realize. But it’s kind of like Vegas: what happens on the sidelines stays on the sidelines. It’s an emotional game, people get emotional, and you move on from it,” said Cortez, the longtime CFL offensive guru who was replaced as the Ticats’ head coach by Austin after a 6-12 season last year.

“Kory is a hard runner, a powerful guy, good in the open field, and when he’s running down behind his pads, he’s hard to tackle. He’s like every other skill person I’ve been around: he wants the ball. But you know what? That’s why guys are pros. They have that drive. Same with receivers. You don’t want receivers who don’t want the ball, ‘cause they’re not good enough.”

What most everyone acknowledges is that both Sheets and Gable are going to figure prominently in the result Sunday -- and that if the forecast is correct and this week’s cold snap gives way to a balmy daytime high of zero degrees Celsius, the football is going to be less like a brick, and a lot easier to handle.

The temperature so far has been a considerable shock.

"They told me about it but I was like 'OK, it can't be that bad,’ but I was wrong," said Gable, who had only seen snow once, in Nebraska, before coming to Canada. “The coldest I ever played in was probably at Notre Dame, but nothing compared to this.”

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.